Centered on the theme of Lose-Lose?, this year’s conference focused on the vicious circle of zero-sum thinking, relative gains, and the unequal sharing of the proverbial pie. While many of the topics discussed this year were typical for the MSC, including the value of strengthened cooperation and the need to bolster international law and order, the mood was gloomier than a year ago. A consensus seemed to emerge among participants that international peace and security is likely to worsen before it gets better.
Author: Adam Lupel
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The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the solidarity of the international community, yet there is real work to be done to strengthen solidarity across regions.
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A better understanding is needed of where the multilateral system is working, where it is not, and where it is headed.
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The liberal order could collapse completely and we would still have the broader multilateral system, but the question is in what form?
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Gender equality is a universal agenda and its absence has profound consequences for all of humanity. There is perhaps no area where this becomes clearer than in relation to matters of peace and security.
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We continue to develop new tools to respond to atrocities and yet we keep failing to prevent or stop these crimes. Why?
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Most importantly, UNMEER’s integrated approach is a case study in the UN’s potential to work together toward greater integration and to deliver across its institutional divisions, or silos.
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Norm-setting institutions such as the UN gain legitimacy when those who violate those norms are held accountable. Promotion of a more robust implementation of UN norms and policies can help to rebuild trust in the system.
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Too many states and peoples have responded to problems by unilaterally using force or by turning inward, building barriers instead of bridges, and stifling dissent, under the guise of fighting external threats.
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The uncovering of La Línea has shaken Guatemalan society. No one imagined that CICIG and the Public Prosecutor’s Office would dare to unravel such an entrenched criminal network.
